


Handplates: Easy Ways to Stop a Mad Scientist

by ArgentDandelion



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Handplates (Undertale), Cognitive Dissonance, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Heroes to Villains, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Use, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Tobacco Use, Nonfiction, Psychology, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 16:34:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20429030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArgentDandelion/pseuds/ArgentDandelion
Summary: Covers how, were a a devoted reader of Handplates to somehow become a monster in the Underground, it would be possible to stop W.D. Gaster's "villain origin story" at various points.





	Handplates: Easy Ways to Stop a Mad Scientist

Handplates: Easy Ways to Stop a Mad Scientist

**Warning: Mentions alcohol and tobacco use. Also has vague mentions of child abuse.**

Assume a devoted reader of Handplates spontaneously becomes a monster and is now in Handplates canon. Using knowledge of Handplates, the reader-monster could easily and safely stop Gaster’s mad-scientist cruelties.

The following methods all rely on five principles:

**\- Remove motives.  
\- Let him suffer just a teeny bit more, discouraging further cruelty.  
\- Make the starting cost just a little higher, preventing cruelty (because he’ll chicken out).  
\- Lower starting cost, preventing post-hoc rationalization.  
\- Make it impractical but still technically possible for him to do the experiments. (He’ll have to justify to himself why he still doesn’t do it even though it’s technically possible.)  
\- Explain how cruelty is unnecessary and, in fact, counterproductive, in an objective and scientific context.**

Methods’ ease and safety are ranked by stars; more stars means less safe and easy. Some methods can be used at multiple points; they are sorted by the most effective time to use them.

1._[ Pre-Project](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/185209602751/handplates-easy-ways-to-stop-a-mad-scientist#codeword1)_  
2\. _[Pre-Hole Punching](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/185209602751/handplates-easy-ways-to-stop-a-mad-scientist#codeword2)_  
3\. _[Pre-Plates](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/185209602751/handplates-easy-ways-to-stop-a-mad-scientist#codeword3)_  
4\. _[Post-Plates](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/185209602751/handplates-easy-ways-to-stop-a-mad-scientist#codeword4)_  


* * *

## Pre-Project

### Boulder Plan (★)

Remove motives by putting a really heavy boulder in front of the door to the Ruins. Humans therefore can’t leave Toriel, so Asgore doesn’t have to kill them, and Gaster doesn’t feel he has to relieve Asgore’s suffering. (Note: This would be more useful before the Yellow SOUL, or before the SOUL before that.)  
**Cons:** Monsters will remove the boulder, because they know that’s where the humans are coming from. (Hire a really strong monster that doesn’t know that’s where the humans come from)

### Communication with Toriel (★★)

Toriel is one of the very few people to which Gaster has an emotional connection. When Toriel disappeared after Asgore’s declaration of war, Gaster assumed she died. Spider monsters can send a telegram between the Ruins and Hotland; giving Toriel Gaster’s telegram address might make her send messages to him.  
Alternatively, talking to Toriel through the door, writing down something only Gaster would know on a piece of paper, and then delivering that letter to Gaster would have Gaster read the letter and realize Toriel is alive. Gaster would then go to Toriel and talk about why she left Asgore. Regardless of the outcome, Gaster would likely be far too distracted/conflicted between who to serve to start his project.  
**Cons:** If telegrams are exclusively a spider-monster service, reader-monster would likely have to pay quite a price to have them carry a message. (assuming reader-monster isn’t also a spider-monster) The spiders might spy on the message, or the message must be necessarily coded so the spiders can’t understand it. The coding would, in turn, make it more difficult for Toriel and Gaster to interpret it. It’s also possible the spider monsters might attack reader-monster if the telegram service is a secret or if one is too rude.

### Steal His Idea (★★)

  
(From [this](https://zarla-s.tumblr.com/post/184307124483/previous-ever-think-out-loud-and-then-start) page)  
A later comic reveals Gaster was inspired by the idea of homunculi: artificial humans. If one takes the idea of homunculi to try to create “teraculi” (a monster equivalent) before he can start his project, Gaster wouldn’t feel so purposeful and brilliant to start the project himself.  
If he’s smart about it, he might get himself involved in the other “teraculi” project and offer his own body materials for it. In that case, a bunch of scientists would know about the project. They’d either quit it once it’s clear the test subjects are sentient, or continue without causing them excessive pain or discomfort.  
If Gaster can spread the labor of the project, it wouldn’t stress him out, and therefore he wouldn’t do foolish and painful things (e.g., breaking Papyrus’ arm to illustrate a point) just because he’s tired.  
**Cons:** This would require reader-monster either be a scientist, or obtain several scientist-friend candidates and subtly encourage them to the same ideas.

* * *

## Pre-Hole Punching

### Science Inspection Laws (★★)

Talk to Asgore/other parts of the monster government, if they exist, on a new lab inspection law. This could be about lab safety, accountability for potentially dangerous experiments, ensuring the Underground’s taxes are being used productively for subsidized experiments, or other things.   
If implemented, people would check out Gaster’s true lab (potentially on an unpredictable schedule), making it more difficult to do ethically questionable/outright immoral experiments. For example, he’d have to explain why he has tables and chairs with leather straps fitted to a common monster size and body plan.  
If he goes long enough without doing especially painful experiments, he might rationalize it by saying it wasn’t that valuable anyway. Or, he might have to adjust the procedures so they’re less painful and uncomfortable, so the leather straps are unnecessary.  
**Cons:** King Fluffybuns is a pushover apparently fine with people visiting him unannounced. On the other hand, he respects Gaster and rarely checks up on his projects. If Gaster tries to make a royal scientist exception to the law, he might persuade Asgore. Thus, the best method is talking to other parts of the monster government, if it exists.

### Steal Hole-Punching Machine Parts (★★)

  
From [this](https://zarla-s.tumblr.com/post/144071031447/so-for-how-much-control-gaster-has-over-his) post.  
One assumes Gaster got the parts by browsing the dump. Reader-monster would have to know not only exactly where the parts were on the day he assembled them, but also know locations of any other spare parts. If some of the parts are so general-use no monster could figure out what he was going to do with them, Gaster might simply purchase the parts from other scavengers/scientists, so the reader-monster would have to deal with that, too.

### Fake Damage to Hole-Punching Machine Parts (★★)

Reader-monster would have to find the parts he’s going to use in the dump (as well as backup parts), if he indeed found them in the dump, and then damage them to the point of uselessness or spray them with a solution mimicking Waterfall-appropriate damage. (e.g., dirt that’s hard to remove, slight acid damage, water damage)  
If all the parts he finds look too damaged, he might presume it’s unlikely any scavengers or scientists have working parts. If he knows other scientists have suitable machine parts, he’d have to negotiate with other scientists he doesn’t have authority over, or redesign the plate-drilling machine to not require the parts. If he has to negotiate, he might chicken out because he doesn’t like to (or is afraid of) actually applying high-level social skills, or be discouraged about the time and effort needed to make a new plate-drilling machine design.

### Complimentary Bottle of Whiskey (★)

Give him painkillers for the hole-punching. The least suspicious painkiller to give him is a bottle of whiskey, delivered as a gift from another scientist/a fan of his work. (A note implying alcohol’s pain-killing properties would make this extra persuasive.) Since he won’t go through so much pain, he won’t need to justify the pain to himself and therefore commit less.

* * *

## Pre-Plates

### Steal Components for Death Beams (★★)

Steal all components for death beams. He might install locked doors instead, but then Sans and Papyrus wouldn’t be hesitant to pile up behind the locked doors, take him by surprise and escape. They also wouldn’t be afraid to get close to the doors and attack the doors using magic.  
**Cons:** Components used to make death beams might be common, multi-purpose components. Thus, there might be too many to steal at once, and it might badly affect the Underground’s technology over time.

### Animal Training Manual (★)

Give Gaster a progressive animal training manual; mention certain animals (e.g., parrots) are very smart for animals and able to imitate speech. Thus, he’ll liken his test subjects to animals, and treat them accordingly. (that is, nicely)  
There’s an [entire post](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/183738938956/handplates-wd-gaster-the-animal-trainer) on this, but, in brief: he’ll train his subjects to trust him, keep that trust, and gradually build up their pain tolerance so the handplates-drilling isn’t so traumatic. (if he still goes through with that, instead of tying it around their hands or using another less-painful method)  
**Cons:** Since animals/animal training do not fall within his interests or expertise, Gaster would wonder why it’s even relevant for him. Loudly talking about a made-up story with lab mice paralleling his test subjects at a scientist party is more likely to get his attention, but it’s unlikely he’d attend a scientist party.

### Get Asgore to Say Nice Things (★★)

Between Gaster realizing his clone-children are alive and choosing to go through with drilling the hand plates, talk to Asgore and suggest Gaster is like his child. (“I’d love to be like Gaster, but, alas, I didn’t have the king himself raise me as his own child…”) This might get Asgore to talk about that to Gaster, and perhaps talk about how much he loved his children.  
This would be extra persuasive if he talks about how promising Asriel was and how sad he was he didn’t have more time to teach him the ways of kingship and see his ruling accomplishments. In a Mercyplates scenario, Gaster heaps praise on Sans because he thinks Sans is going to be a brilliant scientist like him, so appealing to Gaster’s selfish desire for a mini-me might work here.

### Talk About Skeleton Greatness (★)

Get Gaster’s book on skeleton culture (Asgore might have the only copy; he’ll probably give it to people who ask), read it, and then send fan mail talking about how great skeletons are and how sad it is Gaster is the only skeleton left. (or, get Asgore to talk about that) Then, Gaster will realize he can produce more of his kind. (If the grey-background comics are broadly canon, he does seem to think highly of the fact he’s a skeleton monster)

### Non-Painful Name Tags (★★)

Create metal “name tags” for porcelain lab equipment/skeletons of taxidermied animals. Attach name tags with tiny clamps or a special superglue suited for bone/plausibly bone-like substances. If Gaster knows he can get these name tags custom-made to certain proportions with test subject designations, he would consider making hand plates himself an impractical waste of time.  
To be even more persuasive, say one can easily install tracking devices, to keep track of porcelain equipment containing volatile and/or extremely valuable chemicals/ensure the equipment isn’t stolen.  
**Cons:** Would require reader-monster to actually make or acquire effective metal name tags suitable for this purpose; it might take a few months to perfect the technology.

* * *

## Post-Plates

### Prevent Tobacco Use (★★★)

Monster-reader would need to figure out when he started smoking, and then prevent him from either acquiring a packet of cigarettes or hide it somewhere in the lab once he got it. It is possible he took up smoking shortly after drilling in the plates, since he’s not seen doing so at any time before. It’s likely he did this to try to reduce his stress. (Though nicotine dependency exacerbates stress, it’s unclear how nicotine chemically affects monsters, given their bodies are so very different)  
If Gaster can’t reduce the stress he feels here, he’d have less ability to do cruel things again for fear of how it will affect him. (For example, if a woman gives birth in a way that’s especially agonizing, the next time she’s likely to use local anesthesia, not bear any more kids, or use C-section.)  
**Cons:** This would require sneaking into his lab, or knowing exactly when and where he found cigarettes in the dump and then removing it. (this is especially difficult because cigarettes are common trash items) He might also simply find cigarettes on another day.  
Of all the things to steal from him, this is the least likely to cause trouble. Others could infer he smoked based on the smell on his clothes, without knowing anything about his projects.  
It’s also possible the motives are nothing more than wanting to do what’s best for his health; one could spin this into wanting to see the irreplaceable brilliant Royal Scientist have a long and productive life and thus appeal to his arrogance.


End file.
